George Nelson (astronaut)
- STS 41 -C ( 1984)
- STS 61- C ( 1986)
- STS -26 (1988 )
George Driver " Pinky " Nelson ( born July 13, 1950 in Charles City, Iowa ) is a former American astronaut.
Nelson received a bachelor's degree in 1972 in physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1974 and a master's degree in 1978 and a doctorate in astronomy, respectively, both from the University of Washington.
Nelson operational astronomical research at the Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak, at the Astronomical Institute in Utrecht, at the Observatory of the University of Göttingen and at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in Boulder (Colorado).
Astronauts activity
Nelson was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in January 1978. He was a scientist on Earth observation aircraft and worked in the development department of the Astronaut Office for spacesuits. The first space shuttle flight STS -1 he was a photographer in the observation plane. He was a member of the support team and speaker connection ( CAPCOM ) for the missions STS -3 and STS- fourth
STS 41 -C
On April 6, 1984 Nelson began as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger on his first flight into space. In two spacewalks the defective solar observation satellite SolarMax of Nelson and his fellow astronaut James van Hoften was captured and repaired. In addition, the Long Duration Exposure Facility ( LDEF ) was suspended with 57 experiments was captured later with STS -32 again and returned to Earth. After seven days, Nelson landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
STS 61- C
Nelson launched on 12 January 1986 with the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS -61 -C. The main objective of the mission was to bring the communications satellite SATCOM KU -1 into orbit. In addition, numerous smaller astrophysical and materials science experiments were performed.
STS -26
On September 29, 1988 Nelson aboard the space shuttle Discovery into space again. After a break of about two and a half years, due to the Challenger disaster, the shuttle program was resumed with this mission. In addition to performing a variety of experiments of all kinds, the Mission of the communications satellite TDRS -3. The landing was planned in Edwards AFB, California.
According to the NASA
Nelson left NASA in 1989 and became a professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham.
Private
George Nelson is married and has two children. In 1987 he founded together with Robert Gibson and Brewster H. Shaw, the astronauts band Max Q.